DYSFUNCTIONAL • [ D. BOSTICK ]

|9.| patchouli

N O R A

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"So you just... Blend it?" I asked as I pushed the button. "Yep, nothing extra added, completely vegan and organic. Rich folk love it." Chris says and I chuckle.

"When it's blended, you just put it in a container, put today's sticker on it, then just put it on the shelf." He explains and I hum.

"Easy, enough." I say and give him a small smile. He then pats by back softly and tells me he'll be back. I apparently wasn't the only one recently hired and Chris was usually the one who trained people since he had worked here since the store opened about a year ago.

Making the almond and peanut butter was fairly easy, all I had to do was blend the nuts and add a little water. I had no idea if it tasted good - or like anything since the nuts weren't salted but then again, I couldn't care less. All I had to do was make it occasionally and stock some items. That's was it.

As for the store, I asked for part time during the week since I wasn't in school and they needed people in that position. It also paid more, since mostly younger people worked here and they were in school, they were desperate for employees.

I didn't mind though, it did mean less time hanging out with Devon, but I was making way more than minimum wage. I could help out with rent and even save some for myself.

After I had filled the amount of plastic containers I was asked to fill, I sealed each of them, putting them in and rolling cart and taking them to the display upfront.

Sunlight was barely peaking through the main glass doors, it was early still. It wasn't even nine in the morning and I had already finished half of my days work even though I only got here an hour ago.

I went to the back area to find Chris, and ask him what to do next. It was still my first day and I had no idea what I was supposed to stock.

"I finished the almond and peanut butter, what do I do next?" I ask when I find him.

"You put them out as well?" He asked and I nodded. He smiled, "You're faster and more diligent than 90% of the people here." He complimented.

I laughed slightly, not sure how to respond to that. I knew it was a compliment, i just didn't take those well.

"Ezra offered to show you around the stock room and where everything goes, he should get here soon. Until then," he started telling me other little things about the store and how everything worked.

I nodded along to everything else he explained to me. Although while everything was easy enough, I couldn't help but think how extra this place was.

Handmade peanut and almond butter, a 'dry your own' fruit class, what was next? A 'make your own' smoothie stand?

Although while it was a little too uppity for me, I dealt with it all day and got the hang of stocking shelves with Ezra. He was pretty cool, he still seemed like a hipster but not the overly annoying kind, plus I probably seemed 'alternative' at first glance as well.

I was busy stacking shelves with Ezra - which was fun enlightening since I didn't know the real difference between vegan and vegetarian - until Devon picked me up.

"How'd it go? Did you get a contact high from hugging anyone?" Devon asked and I chuckled. "No, but nearly everyone does smell like patchouli and a Bob Marley festival." I say.

"Oh, and there's literally a whole aisle of nothing but that weird expensive water. Like every brand of weird ass water is in there, one of them literally costs $14 a bottle." I explain and he scoffed.

"No way, that's way too much for some fucking water." He claims and I pull my phone out.

I always had this phone on me even though it wasn't activated. I listened to music on it or used it when I had access to wifi but other than that, no calls or text messages were made or received on this device.

I pulled up the picture I took of the water and the price below it, showing it to him at a stop light.

"Those better be reals diamonds on the bottle and it better contain Jeffrey Dahmer's tears." He says, completely shocked that water could be that pricey.

"Yeah, no shit." I agree. "I also get store credit I can use to buy stuff from there, which is useful if we ever need extra groceries."

"Do they sell anything that isn't vegan, gluten free, and actually tastes good?" He asks and I shake my head.

"No, but a tofurkey dinner would be interesting, though."

-

note: Ezra as in Miller ok, ok.

now since that's cleared up, I'm aware nobody reads this. i don't even care though, SOMEONE has to find it one day. until then, I'll post these authors notes for myself since I'm the only one here.

so, miranda, remember that time you once fingered your best friend in the room right next to her mother's with the door wide open??? fun times am I right cuz shes now definitely not just ur friend ayyye

(miranda now realizes that people read this and now knows to proof read her shit before she posts it. she also decided to leave the previous authors note for shits and giggles and apparently shes fond of writing in third person.)